Trump says US 'didn’t start this war' on Iran
Trump made the remark at campaign rallies this week. At a Monday rally in Mississippi he said, "We didn't start the war with Iran.
Iran started the war with us," and pointed to Iran's hostile actions against the US going back to 1979. He repeated the line at a rally in Ohio, arguing that Iran's military capabilities are now limited. He also said the US had "no choice" and that the war should have been done long ago, warning that Iran's missiles could eventually threaten American cities.
His case. Trump has said the war began in 1979 and that Iran has killed many Americans. He has said Iran was "killing our people for years." Earlier in the conflict, he said US officials were negotiating with Iran and he believed Iran would attack first if the US didn't. Defense Secretary Hegseth made a similar argument in March, saying the US had been in conflict with Iran for some time and only now chose to hit back.
The dispute. The sequence of events is not in dispute. The war began when the US and Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iran on 28 February 2026. Greek outlet Enikos noted this happened while diplomatic talks over Tehran's nuclear program were underway. Iran has said the US assault was unprovoked and denies seeking a nuclear weapon. One fact-check of the Mississippi remarks concluded the statement doesn't accurately describe how the 2026 conflict began. Critics also argue that the administration's stated reasons have shifted. For example, Trump said in April he didn't "care" about Iran's highly enriched uranium, which contradicted a key rationale he gave at the start.
Supporters would answer that "starting" a war is a matter of framing. On their view, decades of Iranian-backed attacks on Americans mean the February strikes were a response or a preemptive defense, not the opening act. Critics reply that a preemptive strike during negotiations is still the US choosing to start the fighting, whatever came before.
Where things stand. The remarks come amid uncertainty over whether the US will launch another round of strikes. Trump said Wednesday that "anything's possible" regarding strikes after the midterms, and that Iran may be waiting for the election to make a deal.
Is there a particular piece you'd like to dig into, like the timeline of the war or the legal arguments about preemption?
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